Torpedo-net.



R. J. SMITH.

TORPEDO NET.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, I9I1.

Patented Oct. 9, 1917.-

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TORPEDO-NET.

T0 all 'whom t may concern:

Bc it known that I, Biol-IARD JAMEs SMITH, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 36 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin, in the county of Dublin, Ireland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Torpedo-Nets, of which the following is a specification. A.

My nvention relates to improvements in torpedo nets and has for its object to provide means by which a resilient resistance to an oncoming torpedo is produced when such torpedo strikes eitlierthe outer .or inner open portions of the net or both, in order to gradually reduce or destroy the momentum of the torpedo and ,in such a manner that thedangerof the torpedo firing pin striking the netis reduced to a minimum.

For the foregoing purpose, the said improved torpedonet xcomprisesa. system of Y V-shaped netting having open or closedentrances to each V-shaped entrance, and adapted to lie in or about in the horizontal or vertical planes. Said netting is suitably braced and is adapted to be suspended from its top portions by means of hooks or other suitable and known devices designed for the suspension and lowering and raising of torpedo nets which are held out at a suitable distance from the ships hull or sides. Said V-shaped net may be made in detachable sections of a suitable size adapted to be connected together by any suitable means.

An example of said torpedo net constructed in accordance with my said invention, and showing some but not all of the reinforcing braces or stays, is illustrated in the accompanying drawing and more fully described hereinafter, the same reference numbers being used for the same parts throughout:

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a side elevation of said net, and Fig. 2 shows an end elevation in part. Fig. 3 shows a plan view of a section or part of said V-shaped net.

The V-shaped net 1 is cut away at its inner end or apex 2 and is adapted to form an open space 3, the net being tapered to its opposite end 4 to form an opposite and larger opening 5 or open space 5 adapted to receive an on coming torpedo which drives into any one of the open V-shaped nets 1 which are so tapered from the smaller opening 3 to the larger opening 5 as to cause the torpedo to be wedged tighter the further it enters the open and V-shaped net so that a i Specification of Letters Eatent.

more or less resilient resistance is olfered to forced by suitable and'tlexible wires or stays 10 which are lixed to the top support7 and to the corresponding bottom support9 which latter supports are braced by suitablestays such as T-iron stays 11, as shown. The flexible wires or stays 10k and the V-shaped net 1 at 6 and 8 are xed rigidly together and to the corresponding top and bottom supports vor cables 7 and 9 by any suitable means such as by brazing together or clamping together by suitable clamps, and the T- iron stays 11 are ixed at 12 and 13 in a similar manner. If necessary, the nets 1 may be reinforced by suitable wires 1-1 which may be suitably ixed to transverse braces connecting the top and bottom pairs of supports 7 and 9, these transverse braces not being shown. Fig. 2 shows a method of connecting the netting and braces to the pair of upper and lower supports or cables 7 and 9,'but any convenient system of bracing may be used for the whole apparatus and in such a manner that each V-shaped net or the opening 3 and 5 therein are kept in the approximately correct position, as shown, and so that the openings 3 cannot be enlarged to the extent of letting a traveling torpedo pass through; and the angle at 15 of each V is made suitable to produce the best results in trapping and gradually bringing to a halt an on coming torpedo. The whole apparatus when in operation is Asuspended out from the ships side or hull at a suitable distance therefrom and to a suitable depth in the water and above the water by any suitable and known type of supports or lowering and raising device used for manipulating torpedo nets by making suitable connections to said pair of upper supports or cables or cross braces therefrom. When in position in the water said V-shaped net is preferably hung in the vertical` plane as shown in plan view in Fig. 3. The open ends at 3 may be braced by connecting to y 'PatentedOct 9, 1917. Application mea April s, 1917. seriallvfo.160,079.v i `v Said `\,shaped net in any of its forms may bev made in detaohably connected sections which may be fixed together in any suitable manner such as by clamps and bolts engaging each adjacent end of each section of net in suitable positions.

The main and distinguishing feature of my said invention lies in having a V-shaped net Whose outer ends at 5 and whose inner ends at '3 areopen or whose `inner ends at 16 are closed in a modification, and which il-shaped net in either form is suitably braced, supported and suspended so as to normally assume the V-shapes shown and so as to trap and o'fler a resilient resistance to a traveling torpedo and so as to assist in preventing an explosion of the latter.

Having described my invention, l elaimz 1. A torpedo guard comprising pairs of upper and lower cable supports, and a series of wedge shapednets with their V ends lsecured to the upper and lower outer cables outer cables and their inner ends `between 1- the upper and lower inner cables, means for securing the pointed ends of the series of nets to the vouter cables, and devices for securing the inner ends ofthe nets to the Vi-nner cables so that the nets form a plurality of tapering open ended pockets having lresilient sides so as to reduce the momentum of a torpedo to render the ysame inoperative.

Signed'by me this 9th day of March, 1917.

Witnesses l/VILLMM EwAR'r Dorme, EDWARD L. ADAMS, Jr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

